Ethan Hawke Joins Daybreakers

Ethan Hawke has signed on to topline Lionsgate’s futuristic vampire film Daybreakers, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Australian horror veterans Peter and Michael Spierig (Undead) wrote and will direct the high-concept project, which begins shooting in July in Australia, with Weta Workshop creating the creature effects.

Hawke will play a researcher in the year 2017, when a plague has transformed most of the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a discovery that has the power to save the human race.

Lionsgate will release the film in the U.S. and the U.K. and is handling international sales at the upcoming Festival de Cannes.